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Radon Levels in Renville County, Minnesota

EPA puts Renville County in Zone 1, its highest radon zone, and high results are common there: 75.7% of the 37 radon tests reported to CDC (2023) came back at or above 4 pCi/L. Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.

Data checked By Radon411Methodology

How to test this homeFind a certified tester

  • Share at 4+ pCi/L

    75.7%

    41.1 pts above MN

    Renville
    75.7%
    Minnesota
    34.6%

    37 tests, 2023

  • Median result

    6.3pCi/L

    Action level reached

    Renville
    6.3 pCi/L
    EPA
    4.0 pCi/L

    Midpoint of the tests, 2023

  • Tests reported

    37

    56th of 62 by tests

    Renville
    37
    Hennepin
    6,545

    Reported to CDC before any fix, 2023

  • EPA radon zone

    Zone 1

    Highest potential

    1. Zone 1
    2. 2
    3. 3

    1 highest, 3 lowest

    EPA predicts over 4 pCi/L indoors

  • Rank in Minnesota

    1 of 62

    Top quarter

    Renville
    75.7%
    Renville
    75.7%

    By share, of 62 with 30+ tests

Read a result for Renville County

Starts at Renville County's median, 6.3 pCi/L

6.3pCi/L

EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.

EPA’s reading of 6.3 pCi/L

At or above 4 pCi/L

  1. Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
  2. 2 to 4consider a fix
  3. 4 and aboveEPA says fix it

This result is at or above 4 pCi/L. EPA recommends fixing a home when the radon level is 4 pCi/L or higher. Renville County's median reported result, 2023.

Interpret this readingWhat a fix costs

The data

Renville County, At a glance

Renville County at a glance

Predicted: EPA radon zone

EPA Zone 1: highest predicted potential

EPA puts all of Renville County in and predicts an average indoor of greater than 4 pCi/L (greater than 150 Bq/m³) across the county. That is one forecast for the whole county, not a reading of any address in it; homes above EPA's turn up in all three zones.

USGS geologic potential: High across 100% of the county's area

Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones

Measured: tests reported to CDC

Radon tests reported for Renville County, 2023

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Renville County
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L, by year, Renville County
YearShare of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L
201473.5%
201582.4%
201657.1%
201770.4%
201877.5%
201978.0%
202036.4%
202156.4%
202227.3%
202375.7%

2023: 75.7%. Across these years the share ran from 27.3% to 82.4%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.

What these figures count

These are the 37 tests reported to CDC for Renville County over 2023, many from homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: they describe the county's reported tests, not this house.

Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2023. Measured data period: 2005 to 2023 (every CDC figure on file).

How to read these figures

Renville County, Compared

Renville County radon figures, compared

Calculated by Radon411

More than half: 75.7% of the 37 radon tests reported to CDC for Renville County in 2023 read at least 4 pCi/L. That places it 1st of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. That is 41.1 points above the 34.6% pooled from 86 Minnesota counties.

The median result, 6.3 pCi/L, sits above EPA's 4 pCi/L action level, and the top reported result was 30.7 pCi/L. The rest split 8.1% under 2 pCi/L and 16.2% from 2 to 4 (Minnesota: 36.6% and 28.9%). Zone 1 on EPA's map (predicted average above 4 pCi/L) and a 75.7% share point the same way here.

No bordering county with a figure for the same period reported a higher share; the closest is Chippewa County at 65.7%, the lowest Nicollet County at 45.7%. Statewide for the same period, Faribault County reported the highest share (70.0%) and Lake County the lowest (3.8%).

The busiest year on file was 2022, with 128 tests reported; the quietest, 2017, had 27.

Over 9 years of annual figures the share rose 2.2 points, from 73.5% in 2014 to 75.7% in 2023; its peak was 82.4% in 2015. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 33.4%; Renville County sits 42.3 points above it.

Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Renville County against Minnesota2014 to 2023, years with 30 or more tests: Renville County 73.5% to 75.7%, the state's pooled share 34.6% in 2023.
Renville CountyMinnesota, pooled
Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L by year, Renville County against Minnesota: data table
YearTestsRenville County, at or above 4 pCi/LMinnesota, pooled
20148373.5%42.9%
20155182.4%43.6%
20165657.1%37.0%
20184077.5%38.3%
20194178.0%36.1%
20204436.4%31.8%
20213956.4%33.1%
202212827.3%31.6%
20233775.7%34.6%
Renville County against Minnesota, the United States and nearby counties, 2023
AreaTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianDifference from Renville County
Renville County3775.7%6.3 pCi/LThis county
Minnesota, pooled86 counties, pooled22,44934.6%Not pooled−41.1 points
United States, pooled642 counties, pooled128,74033.4%Not pooled−42.3 points
Faribault Countyhighest in the state3070.0%8.1 pCi/L−5.7 points
Lake Countylowest in the state783.8%1.3 pCi/L−71.9 points
Yellow Medicine County, MNborders it1973.7%7.8 pCi/L−2.0 points
Chippewa County, MNborders it3565.7%4.8 pCi/L−10.0 points
Kandiyohi County, MNborders it10665.1%5.3 pCi/L−10.6 points
Brown County, MNborders it11563.5%5.4 pCi/L−12.2 points
Sibley County, MNborders it5560.0%5.0 pCi/L−15.7 points
McLeod County, MNborders it13155.7%4.7 pCi/L−20.0 points
Redwood County, MNborders it3154.8%4.6 pCi/L−20.9 points
Meeker County, MNborders it5949.2%3.9 pCi/L−26.5 points
Nicollet County, MNborders it12945.7%3.7 pCi/L−30.0 points
Where Renville County's reported results fell, 2023, beside Minnesota and the United States
ResultRenville County testsRenville County shareMinnesota shareU.S. shareAgainst Minnesota
Under 2 pCi/L38.1%36.6%41.4%−28.5 points
2 to 4 pCi/L616.2%28.9%25.2%−12.7 points
4 pCi/L and above2875.7%34.6%33.4%+41.1 points
Renville County ranked among the 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests, by share at or above 4 pCi/L, 2023
CountyRankTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedian
Renville County1 of 623775.7%6.3 pCi/L
Faribault County2 of 623070.0%8.1 pCi/L
Freeborn County3 of 627167.6%5.1 pCi/L
Chippewa County4 of 623565.7%4.8 pCi/L
Kandiyohi County5 of 6210665.1%5.3 pCi/L
Clay County6 of 6210065.0%5.5 pCi/L
Lyon County6 of 628065.0%6.1 pCi/L
Brown County8 of 6211563.5%5.4 pCi/L
Dodge County9 of 6215563.2%4.7 pCi/L
Le Sueur County10 of 6213562.2%5.1 pCi/L
Otter Tail County11 of 6217161.4%4.8 pCi/L
Renville County radon tests by year, against Minnesota's pooled share
YearTestsAt or above 4 pCi/LMedianHighestMinnesota, pooledChange from the row before
20233775.7%6.3 pCi/L30.7 pCi/L34.6%+48.4 points
202212827.3%1.3 pCi/L31.2 pCi/L31.6%−29.1 points
20213956.4%5.1 pCi/L24.6 pCi/L33.1%+20.0 points
20204436.4%3.2 pCi/L27.3 pCi/L31.8%−41.6 points
20194178.0%7.4 pCi/L28.8 pCi/L36.1%+0.5 points
20184077.5%6.5 pCi/L16.9 pCi/L38.3%+7.1 points
20172770.4%4.6 pCi/L37.7 pCi/L38.2%+13.3 points
20165657.1%5.1 pCi/L38.9 pCi/L37.0%−25.3 points
20155182.4%7.6 pCi/L45.4 pCi/L43.6%+8.9 points
20148373.5%7.1 pCi/L350.2 pCi/L42.9%First on file

Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.

Renville County, State data

Minnesota's own radon test data

Measured

What Minnesota's own agencies publish about radon tests in Renville County, with their period. These are not CDC's figures and are never added to them.

MeasuredState figures, not CDC's

What the Minnesota Department of Health reports for Renville County

Radon Testing (MN Public Health Data Access Portal): home radon tests reported voluntarily by private laboratories and licensed radon measurement professionals, counted by property. Period: 2016-2025.

Share with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L

70.1%

241 properties tested with one or more tests at or above 4 pCi/L

Median result

6.1 pCi/L

Average result

7.3 pCi/L

Tests behind these figures

34 properties tested a year on average

  • MDH says these data do not include all of the radon tests conducted in Minnesota.
  • Post-mitigation tests are excluded from the averages and the median; the percentages use each property's highest test.
  • Each home is unique and can have very different results than a neighbor's home; the only way to know is to test.
  • These figures describe tests reported to the Minnesota Department of Health in this area. They count a different set of tests than CDC's figures and are not a reading of any one home.

Measured: Minnesota Department of Health data, 2016-2025.

Renville County, Geology

The ground under Renville County

Predicted

USGS's geologic map puts all of Renville County's mapped land in one class: high radon potential. All of it lies in the area the map calls Central Lowland-Till Prairie, to which USGS gives a radon index of 14, in the high band (12 to 17).

USGS's geologic areas under Renville County
AreaThe rock, in USGS's wordsPotentialRadon indexShare of land
Central Lowland-Till PrairieSilty and clayey till derived from shale and sandstone.High14100%

Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.

Renville County beside the ground around it

Renville County has more high-potential ground than Minnesota as a whole: 100% of its land against 61.1%. Of the 9 counties that border it, none has as large a share of high-potential ground; Brown County comes nearest at 100%.

Share of land by USGS radon potential: Renville County, the 9 counties bordering it and Minnesota
AreaEPA zoneLow potentialModerate potentialHigh potential
Renville CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Redwood CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Brown CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Chippewa CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Sibley CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Kandiyohi CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
McLeod CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Meeker CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Nicollet CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Yellow Medicine CountyZone 1NoneNone100%
Minnesota87 counties, pooled by land areaVariesNone38.9%61.1%

The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.

Local help

Renville County, Local resources

Radon testing and mitigation in Renville County

What Minnesota's program says
Phone
651-201-4601
Email
health.indoorair@state.mn.us
Licensing of radon professionals
The Radon Licensing Act requires anyone who performs a radon test or radon mitigation, in a building they do not own or lease, must be licensed by MDH.
Disclosure when a home is sold or rented
The Minnesota Radon Awareness Act requires specific disclosure and education be provided to potential home buyers during residential real estate transactions in Minnesota.

What it means

Renville County, Questions

Questions about radon in Renville County

Are radon levels high in Renville County?

In 2023, 75.7% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Renville County, Minnesota were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 6.3 pCi/L. Of 62 Minnesota counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, none reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 34.6%.

Which counties border Renville County?

Renville County borders 9 counties: Redwood County, Brown County, Chippewa County, Sibley County, Kandiyohi County, McLeod County, Meeker County, Nicollet County and Yellow Medicine County.

Products

Renville County, Products

Testing a home in Renville County

In Renville County, 75.7% of 37 tests reported to CDC in 2023 reached 4 pCi/L, against 34.6% pooled across Minnesota. In Zone 1 the year-round level in Renville County is the one to know: a long-term test (more than 90 days) or a monitor, with a short-term kit for a first answer.

Test kits and monitors3

See every kit and monitor

Renville County is in EPA Zone 1, the highest predicted radon potential. Best radon monitors for Zone 1 counties like Renville County

Explore

Renville County, Bordering counties

Counties bordering Renville County

Calculated by Radon411

Renville County, Cities and towns

Cities and towns in Renville County

About 14,356 people live in Renville County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 335 fewer than in 2020 (−2.3%). That works out to 15 people per square mile of land. No town dominates: Olivia, the largest, has 2,288 residents, 15.9% of the total. Together its 10 incorporated places hold 64.1% of those residents; the other 35.9% live outside any of them. CDC's 37 reported tests for 2023 work out to 2.6 per 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), close to Minnesota's 3.9.

From Olivia to Morton, CDC publishes no figure by town: each reads Renville County's.

The cities and towns in Renville County by residents, July 1, 2025
PlaceResidentsSince 2020Share of residents
Olivia2,288−2.6%15.9%
Renville1,268−2.3%8.8%
Fairfax1,203−3.5%8.4%
Hector989−3.2%6.9%
Bird Island981−3.0%6.8%
Buffalo Lake637−2.5%4.4%
Franklin510+2.8%3.6%
Sacred Heart490−3.4%3.4%
Danube442−3.1%3.1%
Morton396−3.6%2.8%

10 incorporated places, as listed in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 place reference files. Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).

Renville County, Homes

Homes in Renville County

Renville County is a place of houses on their own lots: 84% of its 6,911 homes are detached single-family houses, against 66% across Minnesota. The homes are older than Minnesota's as a whole: half were built before 1958 (1978 for Minnesota), and 52% date from before 1960. Owners live in 79% of the occupied homes (Minnesota: 72%), so for most households a test and a fix are their own to order.

Homes in Renville County, Minnesota, 2019 to 2023
HomesRenville CountyMinnesota
Housing units6,9112,519,538
Detached houses84%66%
In buildings of 5 or more10%19%
Mobile homes4%3%
Built before 196052%29%
Built since 20008%22%
Middle year built19581978
Owner-occupied79%72%

Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.